


Embers

by WitheringFeniks



Series: Rise From the Ashes [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes-centric, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Character Death, Cover Art, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Getting to Know Each Other, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Human Experimentation, Implied Getting Together, M/M, Mutant Bucky Barnes, Not Steve Friendly, Not Wanda Friendly, Past Child Abuse, Phoenix Tony Stark, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Protective Bucky Barnes, Temporary Character Death, new avengers team, not overly Natasha friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:42:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitheringFeniks/pseuds/WitheringFeniks
Summary: His world was full of colours but the firey red, orange, and yellows always returned his attention to one.Never before had anyone’s colours been made up of so few; they haloed his head and his arms were draped like lengths of fabric hung from them—like vibrant wings of a parrot.Tony Stark was a puzzle he intended to solve.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: Rise From the Ashes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1651261
Comments: 20
Kudos: 1138





	Embers

**Author's Note:**

> Sup. The sequel is here at last :)
> 
> I was blown away by the support on Ash, and a lot were asking for a continuation so here it is!
> 
> Well, it's not so much a sequel as it is an alternate POV.
> 
> Scenes that you didn't see from Tony's side but are seeing here and such. It's mostly focused on Bucky/James with a lot of it being in Wakanada. I didn't go into this planning that but it's what it turned out as.
> 
> You'll have noticed the mutant Bucky Barnes tag too, you'll if out what I mean by that ;)
> 
> PLAYLIST: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fYPPYNhwP0AJr5Zi7pw4E?si=9wk-hJycS8aYXNF-676lyA

* * *

The sight of the betrayal and hurt on Stark’s face haunts his every waking thought. The anger and power behind his attacks and yet—he did not kill them.

Buc—Jam— _Barnes_ —he didn’t know what to call himself—knew that the man had over a dozen chances to land a final blow and still—

Barnes closes his eyes and all he sees is Stark’s brown eyes burning with his hurt and anger.

It was always at the back of his mind—like the image had been seared into his brain.

He couldn’t handle it any longer and so when Shuri offers a chance to go into cryofreeze—where he could be safe until a time they could remove the Trigger Words—he leaps at the chance.

Steve verbally opposed his decision, which just left him frustrated—after everything he’d gone through, Steve was trying to take away his _choice_ —

Barnes wasn’t ashamed of the way he’d barked so at the man supposed to be his friend.

≈≈≈

Later—Shuri informs him it had been almost five months—after he had undergone a type of subconscious tech that helped restore his memories during cryo—pieces still fractured, some never to return, and some slowly easing their way back. Barnes finally felt like his skin was his own, at least, partly anyway.

He still preferred the shadows, still stalked the perimeter when on edge, liked muttering in Russian, and not speaking at all if he could.

His skin crawls when Steve calls him Bucky still.

Made him want to claw his eyes out when he calls him Buck.

So Barnes avoids not only Steve but their entire group because Steve was about family and trust and—how could he trust people that so willingly turn their back on someone? How could he trust _Steve_ after what he had done to Stark—who else hadn’t he told someone something possibly life changing?

He likes spending time with Shuri anyway.

≈≈≈

With memories returning Barnes could remember the diminutive man Steve had once been, he had trouble getting people to take him seriously, but once he’d become this man—this _super solider_ —that was where Barnes was struggling to connect the memories of this man to the half-pint sized man.

In comparison to Steve’s time spent as an ill-ridden man and this, Barnes memories were largely built on the former. So he knew what Steve had once been like—he knew the man he had once called his best friend. He knew how much he had changed—changed from the man that stood up against bullies, who struggled to have his voice heard to a man who didn’t realise the extent of his fame, who didn’t know that he was heard now and yet still kept pushing, not realising he wasn’t the ‘little man’ any longer.

While when Steve had first rescued him from HYDRA, he had been glad and just so, so _relieved_ —he had come to the realisation quickly that Steve hadn’t completed _basic training_. He did so many things, minor really, that the military frowned upon but because of the propaganda, everyone believed he was this _saint_ —

What the media and history books portrayed him as wasn’t factually correct.

The hype of Captain America was built upon a man that never really existed—that was built upon _propaganda_.

≈≈≈

His memories of Before and After have a significant mark—he knows exactly when he stopped being Before. He didn’t utter a word how he knew this, he wants to keep that to himself. Wants to horde it; wants something to call his own after _so long_ —

Shuri is bright, her colours fluctuating and fluttering with her emotions—flaring when excited, stilting when confused or stumped—

T’Challa’s colours were more—controlled, they didn’t swirl around him as much. It showed a level of restraint. When he was feeling particularly amused, a soft blue fluttered much like Shuri’s.

Sam was a hardworking man, a man that sort to help others before himself—his determination and kindness was the forefront of his aura.

The ved'ma was familiar—he recognised her aura more than her face. The vile red that tainted her colours; he remembers the colour tinting his sight, remembers the agony he was subjected to whenever her aura had been there.

He… does not fear the ved'ma, he hates her—loathes her like the scum she is. How she came to be part of this supposed team is beyond him and he cares little to actually ask, especially when all Sam says is that she helped the Avengers save the world and she had been misguided before—

Barnes doesn’t want to ask Steve.

He’s in severe anguish at even the thought of trying too.

≈≈≈

He’s scared when he finally gains the courage to look up what happened after—he chokes up at the thought of Stark’s fearful eyes as Steve brings the shield down on the blue light.

The way the shield scrapes by his arms and forcing it into the chest piece instead of his—

Stark still living is the first thing he sees—to his ultimate relief. However, Barnes supposed had he died, the Royal siblings or even the so-called family would have said something about it.

He finds that Tony had been doing a lot in the five months.

He’s revolutionised the prosthetic industry—leg braces to enable people to walk again or for the first time are just one. At the presentation James Rhodes is one of the presenters, showing off the device and Barnes chokes on a bitter laugh.

He learns the man had been paralysed from the waist down.

(Barnes squeezed his eyes closed, recalls those hours all those months ago and can see vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, and creams that surround Stark.

The first time he’d seen the man in person was after Zemo activated his Trigger words. He’s stopped a bullet with the strange hand device, the corner of his lips had softly quirked up in a mix of disbelief and amazement—like he hadn’t expected it to have actually _worked_.

He remembers a brief thought he’d managed to scrape together through the programming—reckless, fascinating and yet so stupidly reckless.

The man’s aura was unlike any others he’s seen before. His almost bore a shape, his arms were draped with the colours like lengths of fabric hung from them—like vibrant wings of a parrot.

His colours never changed from the hues of red and yellow—each emotion seemed to have a certain tone of colour.

Around his head was a halo, soft yellows and golds which had been a deep colour when he faces them at the airport—worry and desperation were but two of the emotions he thinks were there.)

Beside Stark’s work with Stark Industries, he, Rhodes, and the android Vision have been hard at work with the Accords.

Barnes didn’t know a lot about it—he didn’t have internet access whenever he would like back in Budapest; he had to travel to a library to look something up. But he thinks he understands what they were about—liability, accountability.

The Avengers unaccounted trip to Lagos really kicked off public interest in the Accords and everything slowly got out of hand after that from what he could tell.

Then Zemo sets off the bomb at one of the meetings wearing his face—

≈≈≈

Barnes finds the man called Thaddeus Ross (one the group bitterly said Stark was in league with), a man that had been involved with the Accords—and lots of illegal things—had been arrested and charged with life in prison.

Tony had been the one to submit all the evidence—testimonies and facts, video evidence and so much proof that the jury found him guilty in less than _thirty minutes_ —

Barnes wonders if Steve had been keeping up.

Natasha surely would—if he knew enough about her.

From memories that had returned, he can remember the training of the young Russian girls. Natalia had been an unmissable face.

She would surely tell their group all about it if so. But he was never around if she did talk about it.

The ved'ma and archer were bitter about their position. Although the latter seemed more depressed because he had apparently left his family in the middle of the night to help them. Which Barnes didn’t want to touch with a ten-foot pole—

≈≈≈

He finds once he’d started, he can’t stop keeping up with the Accords—Superhero Registration Act now—and the Avengers and what it was becoming.

Faces from all over were stepping forward and Barnes finds himself feeling spiteful amusement as the organisation just grows and grows; flourishing into something it had been denied before.

Mutants with amazing gifts offering their own hand in helping.

Rights and safety for mutants across different countries have been improving because of all the work of the SRA. Stark had been literally saving more lives with his work than possible to count.

≈≈≈

During one of his researching—and totally not stalking—sessions, he finds an Instagram account that belongs to Stark. It’s full of activity at the compound.

The most notable ones are Stark, Rhodes, Vision, then an unfamiliar brown-haired woman who he finds out is Laura, and her three kids, Cooper, Lila and Nate.

Barnes couldn’t help the snort—Clint obvious didn’t know about this.

It seems common knowledge the family lived at the compound but they every much enjoyed it there if the photos and videos meant anything.

Maybe Natalia wasn’t doing reconnaissance after all.

≈≈≈

While manoeuvring around within the dark hallways of the villa they were residing it one evening, he overhears Natalia and Steve.

Their talking about Stark.

So Natalia _had_ been watching the man.

He spies on them as he hides within the shadows.

“He hasn’t called me.” Steve was visibly irritated to go along with the colours that quivered around him. “And now he’s doing all this? He doesn’t have the right—”

“—Actually,” Natalia interrupted. “He does, Fury gave him the rights to the Avengers name. He owns everything to do with it and even if he didn’t, he’s the sole benefactor for everything we _had_.”

Her face doesn’t give her emotions away—he’d trained her well with that but he can See beyond that.

She is—happy, amused—proud of what Stark had managed to do but also bitter. So very _bitter_.

Her colours are constantly overlapping each other like she can’t decide which one she wants to be.

“You _expected_ him to call you?” She continues. Barnes frowns. “Stark’s ego wouldn’t allow him to admit defeat and that he needs us.”

Any sort of fondness he held for the Black Widow abruptly shrivels up and _dies_.

Who the hell did she think Stark was? Because his colours never gave way to narcissism or self-importance. He was a humble man—buried within his colours with his affection, so deeply engraved in his person that he had no idea where Natalia had even scraped such an idea from.

≈≈≈

In the following day, Shuri mentions a device that could help with the Trigger Words.

A holographic illusion technology that projects memories and had the ability to dissociate them.

He’s eager to try.

He makes the mistake of mentioning it to Sam and Scott while Steve was in the room.

The man butted in, saying it was dangerous and he shouldn’t trust it.

Barnes had to explain that he had all his memories _again_ —at least all those that would return. (Maybe possibly in the future minor and unimportant ones could return, triggered by a situation, but there was little chance.)

Steve even mentions the ved'ma could remove them and then he nopes the fuck out—storming out the room before Steve could even finish the sentence.

It had been that way since the first time Steve had said it. Barnes had made a habit of walking out of the room whenever it was mentioned.

≈≈≈ 

One morning Sam appears, worry on his face saying that Redwing had disappeared. Barnes couldn’t help the amusement—he’s seen the newly improved companion on Stark’s Instagram. 

≈≈≈ 

Thor’s return makes it worldwide.

How Asgard had been destroyed and how he was seeking asylum for his people.

There aren’t many public details about how Asgard came to be destroyed but everyone from grandparents to children had all sorts of ideas.

Barnes enjoyed reading about them.

The collection of new images on Instagram were interesting to look through to top it all off.

≈≈≈ 

Barnes becomes James soon after they begin to make progress with the Trigger Words.

He asks Scott and Sam to call him that first. He’d built a bit of a friendship with the duo—they held no expectations or demands from him. He could just be _him_.

Hours later Steve overhears.

Because of course, he does.

It evolves into a yelling match.

≈≈≈

Stark’s mentee is like a miniature female version of him; bright and intelligent.

There was plenty of pictures from other Instagram pages from Stark’s intern Peter, Riri, Cooper, _Laura_ —

It’s so fascinating to see others’ views of the Compound.

There are so many people there now.

≈≈≈

During more research into Stark Industries, James finds a rather enthralling video.

Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing.

James wasn’t going to deny the way he full out _grinned_.

≈≈≈

With him nearing the completion of dissociating the Trigger Words, Shuri asks if he’d like an arm.

He’s hesitant—he wants it; it had been his arm far longer then he’d ever had his flesh one.

But part of him fears the what-ifs.

“Only once we’ve completely cleared my head.” He finally agrees.

Shuri grins.

≈≈≈

During a lunch with T’Challa, Shuri and Ramonda—something James had become a frequent participant in—he learns that pardons were in the work for the rogues and himself.

Most of the meal was James asking about them.

(Not that anyone seems to mind, in fact, they were amused.)

Each was going to be designed sceptically for them because of their skill range.

His own, T’Challa divulges, will consist of community service where he’d work alongside the Avengers for three years. When those three years come to an end, they’d talk about his plans—whether he wished to stay an Avenger or retire and become a civilian.

A far better pardon then he had expected—of course, there are limitations to what he can do, he can’t leave the country without supervision and he must wear an ankle tracker at all times.

However, James finds himself eagerly counting down the days until the day comes.

Until the day he could finally see Stark face to face again because that man—unlike anyone he had ever met before—was a puzzle.

A puzzle he intended to _solve_.

≈≈≈

Steve wouldn’t stop with the antsy movement the entire journey to the Compound. Not even Scott was that bad and the man had a thing with fidgeting.

Sam had slept almost the entire journey and James envies the man because Steve kept trying to talk to him. Cheerful and completely oblivous to the fact things had changed.

Had Steve even listened to anything Natalia had said?

James was last off the Quinjet to see the sight of their escorts. Leaders Danvers and Rhodes with Stark and Vision.

Steve tries to greet Stark but the man said nothing and instead Danvers steps forward taking charge. It was a clear display of ‘you’re talking to me, not him’.

They were led into the building toward the resident block where they went up three floors. The common area is a simple room really, TV with a game console by the looks of it, two settees, a single seat and kitchenette. Nothing extravagant.

There was displeasure that flutters through several auras but none made any verbal protest at their accommodation.

Good, because they could have made them find their own.

James listens closely as Rhodey speaks. Wilson and Barton pipping up as well.

“Don't treat us like some goddamn kids that need a time out.” Barton huffs, a disgruntled expression on his face.

“Surprising but not actually really, I know kids that are _far_ more intelligent then you are, Barton.” Tony gave a sardonic smile and James got to witness his halo shimmer with his amusement.

(Barton’s wife—ex-wife, sorry—was as unimpressed by them all as the others. James just found it all too amusing.)

≈≈≈

That evening he could hear the gathering off all the other members on the ground floor for a large meal.

A very much _fuck you_ from them that they had very obviously and clearly not been invited to.

They could hear them from three stories up because most had migrated outside at some point. From the up high window perch in the living room he had claimed as his, James watches as the—what surname had Barton children taken on now?—kids and other youngsters he was familiar with mess around on the grass.

James got a view of Tony, the vibrant reds made him stand out like a sun compared to everyone. He held Nate on his hip and talking to Laura and a man who must be Stephen.

≈≈≈ 

When he sees Tony leave with the three kids, Barnes can’t help but follow. He finds them half an hours later on the roof of the main building where there was a firepit and beach chairs. The kids had all fallen asleep but Tony was clearly awake.

“You just going to stand there all night, Red October?"

Huh, how had he known he was stood there?

“I didn’t want to intrude.” It was mostly true. He hadn’t yet worked up the courage to make himself know.

Stark waves him off. “They’re all asleep and I’m going to have to wake them up eventually to get them down.” Stark shifts, mindful of Nate, to get a better look at him and reveals an earpiece. FRIDAY no doubt told him. “Is something the matter?”

James took a hesitant step, exhaling as he spoke. “I wanted to ask you something if you’d—allow me.”

Stark juts his chin towards the free chair beside him. James did as gestured and sank into the beach chair and once he’d gotten comfortable, Stark offers his ear.

“Why did you help me?”

Stark froze, his shock rippling through his aura. _Ah_ , James realises, he clearly wanted his involvement kept a secret. James couldn’t blame him and when an underlining hesitation and—a dash of fear, repressed and tiny, but there, James speaks, wanting to ease the man.

“Shuri didn’t tell me if that’s what you’re thinking.” James aims for amusement and Tony looks at him from the corner of his eye and the shock settles but the fear lingers. So the fear wasn’t from the fact Shuri might have told him? hmm. “I saw a video of your presentation at MIT.”

“Oh.” Stark visibly relaxes but still looks hesitant and—the flicker of fear finally makes itself visibly known in his eyes. “So what did they say about me? Tell you how I’m the actual devil in disguise? How I try and buy myself a free conscious? How it proves how much I need them?”

There it is. It makes Barnes want to commit violence oddly enough—it isn’t new, the feeling that is, but hearing that Stark is completely aware of how they see him and that he looks more resigned than anything…

“No, actually.” When Tony gives him a look of confusion, he continues. “I didn’t say anything. Even once Shuri confirmed it.”

“Wha…Why? I tried to kill you, why’d you even think you could trust something I’d made?”

“Because you weren’t trying to kill me. You were angry, and I might not know the suits full capabilities, but I’m not stupid. You could have easily killed us both with little effort, Stark.”

Stark tries to suppress his grin, it borders on a little bit feral, a little bit unrepentant. A look James doubts Stark lets many people have the chance to see. “People tend to forget just what the suit can do. I made the first one from a box of scraps inside a cave.”

James wasn’t going to deny he would listen to everything Stark would tell him if he deemed James worthy of that information—he wants to learn about his own experience, wants to learn how Ironman came to be.

≈≈≈

That night set something off between them, and James—he wasn’t going to lie about how eager he was at the chance to learn who Tony Stark is; he wants to learn everything about the man, learn what made him so _different_.

He knows he shouldn’t—he shouldn’t want to impose himself on Stark, especially when there was still this deep but healing ache whenever Stark looks at him.

James shouldn’t want a lot of things—but it doesn’t stop him.

≈≈≈

The reporting of the earthquake in Chile had captured his attention from the moment he’d learnt the Avengers would be flying out to assist.

(Steve was sulking about the fact they weren’t allowed to help.)

He witnesses the new flawless suit Tony displays, just short of breathless watching the way he flies like he’d been born knowing how—no matter that he’s had ten plus years of flying as Ironman. War Machine is there too yet he isn’t as _impeccable_ …

When Tony, Rhodes, and Vision return that evening. There wasn’t a shadow of a doubt Tony was showing off when he displayed the suit retracting into the arc-reactor, even if he didn’t spare them a single glance.

James falls that bit further down the hole he had dug himself in regards to Tony. That man knew how to show off and taunt someone all the while not saying anything and looking like he couldn’t care any less.

≈≈≈

With the friendship he’d struck with Tony, James starts spending a lot more time with other tenants living there as a result. Rhodey, Riri—who eyes him coolly before warming up after a few days, Peter, Nate, Cooper, Lila—

Honestly, James was surprised at just how they were willing to put up with him, let along actually befriend him.

Steve isn’t nearly as happy about his new friends as Scott and Sam are.

In fact, Scott had been a frequent face in the group too.

≈≈≈

He sees them for the first time by accident—or well, Tony gets drenched in the foam from the fire extinguisher after DUM-E had misheard something, and the man pulls his shirt off without much thought.

The large round one with taut scarring and the second spans the entire horizontal length of his chest running through the first are—unmissable.

He knows the round one—the arc-reactor that had long ago been removed but—

The shape—the size—he knows immediately what caused the second one.

James chokes on air—horror hitting him like a punch.

Tony, realizing what happened, stills and his expression softens and when James just stares, eyes wide with horror and unable to get any words out gently takes his hand and sits them on the settee.

“It’s okay James.” He smiles and James _hates_ the way his emotions reflect the fact that Tony isn’t lying.

“Okay?! That—this—it shouldn’t be _okay_!”

The corner of his eyes crinkles as Tony holds his hand tight, grip secure and reassuring. “It happened, James and I’m not ashamed of my body.”

“But—the scarring—it shouldn’t be possible—it would have crushed your ribcage—it would have—would have killed you! And yet—” He chokes, eyes burning. That guilt from all those months ago back full force—how was any of this any sort of okay?! How could Tony—how could he stand to be anywhere near him after he’d had a hand in—

Tony faulters the slightest bit and James focus on it. Breathing harsh and uneven as fear dug its claws into his back and crawled up his spine.

“Ah.” Tony releases his hands and wrangled his fingers. “It’s a bit complicated.”

“Complicated.” His voice comes out in a hoarse whisper.

Tony nodded.

The was a moment silence, Tony’s expression hesitant and unsure. His aura flickered with hesitant fear—like what he was going to tell him might—might, impossibly, make him hate him. Make his yell or flee in _fear_.

“Kotenok.” The affectionate term slips out without meaning too, and he sees the flustered pinky-red that makes itself know in his aura while Tony fights to hold back the pink in his cheeks—

(He could focus on that later.)

“How is it complicated?”

Tony meets his eyes, biting his lips. “I can’t die.”

≈≈≈

The revelation of just what Tony is—

Feniks—Tony Stark is a feniks.

 _A phoenix_.

≈≈≈

James doesn’t say it out loud but he wished he’d done more than just smash Howard’s face in.

≈≈≈

“I don’t make it a habit, but it happens nonetheless, especially with my lifestyle,” Tony says hours later when they curled up together under a blanket, cups of hot chocolate, and the only two sitting up on the roof.

James swallows, he feels bitter but—he wasn’t going to deny the relief he feels at the knowledge.

“But,” Tony’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “The first time I died I was eight, being held for a ransom and one of them, when Howard made it clear he wasn’t going pay, got angry. He shot me point-blank in the heart. I woke up in a burning house surrounded by their burnt corpses. I made my way back to the house and when Howard demanded answers I told him they’d shot me and then…” He laughed, eyes wet and his pain was soul deep. James pulled him closer. “And then he—he killed me himself because he just _had_ to know.”

≈≈≈

As if to taunt him, just days later after the interview—Tony Stark dies.

All he knows it that FRIDAY is suddenly screeching it terror—Tony had been attacked, knocked from the air and—

Stephen, Rhodey, Carol, and Vision rush through a portal before anything else could be exchanged.

When they come back through, RiRi’s sobbing uncontrollably and Vision pulls her aside as Carol carries Tony who gurgles on blood, eyes wide.

People are swearing, kids are being pulled away from the sight—

Before he could even take a step, Hope grabs both his and Scott’s arms. He twists to demand she let go—

But her eyes tell him to stay still.

He’s aware that the rogues had come running outside, having heard the screaming.

Then—

“Carol.” Tony manages to say and—

His skin begins to _glow_.

“Carol!” Rhodey shouts, panic and worry entangled so thoroughly it was hard to see anything else. “Get back! Everyone get back!”

James is numb as Hope pulls both him and Scott back. Others are shoving the rogues back too and—

Tony burns.

Burns so brightly he’s like his very own _sun_.

It hurts his eyes and he has to look away.

Tony screams—

Fire crackles—

Flames lick at their surroundings—

The heat is unlike anything he’d felt before.

—then it’s gone. Like it had never been there, only the scorched ground and heat flushed cheeks are the only evidence of what had just happened.

Tony breathes—sucking in deep breaths and then he rolls onto his side, his eyes wide as he spits the remaining blood from his mouth. He chokes on a breath and slumps, too exhausted.

Rhodey kneels next to him, Carol next and James finally regains control of his legs. They roll him onto his back and Tony blinks blearily.

“Tony.” Rhodey calls gently.

Golden eyes blink again before meeting the Colonel’s eyes. “’Sup.” He slurs.

Rhodey smothers a snort and James has to bite his lip to stop the smile.

“Mm, sleep now?”

“Yeah, Tones, you can sleep.”

Golden eyes slowly fade back to brown before they slide closed.

≈≈≈

Tony sighed softly, nuzzling into his thigh. James can’t help running his fingers through his locks, gently scratching his scalp occasionally. It gets happy little moans from Tony.

Tony hadn’t been lying when he said it could take days before he could go back to being normal. He’d sleep for hours, had trouble keeping anything down and sometimes his limbs refused to do as he wanted.

_“My body’s basically completely rewritten itself, everything in my body is brand new. It takes a while to wear myself in, so to speak.”_

James watches the contentment flutter through Tony’s aura and he sleepily smiles up at James.

God did he love this man.

≈≈≈

The trust that Tony had shown him by telling him what he was—a trust Tony that had had broken many times before by others—was something James valued greatly.

So when he thinks about sharing his own secret—well, it isn’t all that hard of a decision.

≈≈≈

“—I can see auras—can tell feelings.” James explained. “It started when HYDRA had first gotten me. When Steve had come rescue me from them. They were trying to create their own serum, you know.”

Tony nodded in understanding. “Howard was obsessed with recreating Doctor Erskine's formula that he created _me_.”

“It was just one day I had nothing, then the next it was there—it felt like it had always been there to begin with too. It was a strange feeling.”

“You think whatever Zola did to you gave you the ability?” Tony wondered.

“I’m… not sure—you’d think it would feel wrong, though, wouldn’t you? If you could suddenly see all these colours, it would get overwhelming but I’ve never experienced that—even during my time as the Asset when I didn’t understand emotions. Seeing everything like that—it felt right, no matter my state of mind.”

Tony sat back, curiosity leaking through before he seemed to have a realisation. “You know what, I think you might have the x-gene. Most mutants say their abilities feel natural, you know?”

James’s spine straightened, eyes wide as Tony grinned. “You wanna find out? Brucie would be more than happy to do it.”

James returned the grin.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I've got a few more ideas for this universe, so more is to come :)


End file.
